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Noelle Thompson
Professor Bowers
English 1101-115
04/11/16
Unwavering Skepticism
It seems for most people that when people have a connection to a
higher power, they are generally happier. My question is; why exactly does
this feeling make people so happy, and what does it mean to have faith in a
higher existence? In the 2012 film, Life of Pi, based off of the novel by Yann
Martel, and directed by Ang Lee, Martel explains to his readers that his story
will make you believe in God. This film shows the horrific journey of a young
Indian boy named Pi, or Piscine Patel, when he is stranded at sea in one
small boat, with only a Bengal Tiger for company. As God seems to be Pis
one true driving force for survival, this is a story that every single reader has
to look at from a symbolic and spiritual perspective. The story of Pi Patel
gives its readers and viewers a broader insight into what God really means,
as well as how and why it may play into the catastrophic and every day
events in our lives.
It is safe to say that the story of Pi Patel is quite the extraordinary
and unforgettable one. An Empire online article quotes, To produce a
coherent film from Martels tricky novel would be achievement enough, but

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Ang Lee has extracted something beautiful, wise and, at times, miraculous.
The film begins by introducing the older, current version of Pi Patel, as he is
having a conversation with a writer who is looking to write a great story. Pis
story begins as we see him as a little boy, living in a beautiful French part of
India. He lives with his Mother, Father and his brother at a Zoo they own.
Yann Martel overall outlines Pis emotional, spiritual, sensual, and physical
growth as a young boy. In school, he is ridiculed, but prevails by eventually
showing everyone that he is a genius. He is an extremely passionate and
open-minded young boy, and takes a particular interest in religion. In fact,
throughout his childhood he heavily studied almost every religion he could
find, despite his familys judgement. In a family dinner scene Pi explains
exactly why he chooses to believe in all gods, from all religions; to him it is
about believing in something, and it does not need to be defined. This
characteristic of Pi puts an interesting factor into the film, and what it means
to believe in a higher power. Pi is about 20 when he finds himself stranded on
a single boat in the middle of the Indian sea, after his familys decision to
move to Canada fails when the Japanese cargo ship they are aboard sinks
from some rough weather. His entire family and everyone on board ends up
dying except for Pi, who finds shelter on a rescue boat, with minimal supplies
and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
I would say the most symbolic piece of this story seems to be Richard
Parker, the Bengal tiger that survived with Pi the entire journey. This seems
very peculiar to the reader, as it would make anyone wonder how a Bengal

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tiger could survive through something like this. But Pis experience of being
stranded at sea is both a typical survival story, and at the same time has a
very spiritual and metaphysical perspective to it. Throughout his journey, Pi
explains how Richard Parker is the most important aspect of his days. Pi
grows a passionate bond onto him, as he explains how the tiger gives him a
sense of purpose and a drive in his journey. Every day Pi tends to Richard
Parker to the best of his abilities, and goes on about how it is so important to
him that he learns to tame and get along with the tiger as best as he can,
and how important it is for Richard Parker to do the same for him. Pi brings
out the deepness and uniqueness of this film, as he makes an extraordinary
survivalist because of his extraordinary personality. The tactics and tools he
uses towards his survival shows both his extremely efficient and intelligent
side, and as his personality is incorporated into this journey, it shows both
his childish and adventurous side as well.
Pi himself outlines both the good experiences as well as the horrific
experiences while on board. Extremely strange hallucinations occurred for Pi,
such as flashbacks into his old life and recaps of his family. Another
particularly strange scene occurred when he stopped at a bioluminescent,
carnivorous island full of only lemurs and spent the night. These bizarre
scenes allowed me to look back on the story from a spiritual outlook, and
understand symbolically what these occurrences meant for Pi. The mood of
these scenes would range from thousands of flying fish hopping into his boat,
to when Pi and Richard Parker are down to their last breath, and suddenly a

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thunderstorm consumes their boat, with a terrified tiger and Pi on board. In
this particular scene, Pi continues to scream to the sky, Im ready for you
God! Give me to God! and as time goes by, he begins to curse God,
pleading; Why are you scaring him (Richard Parker)?! I have given
everything to you, I have lost everything, what more do you want?! But the
storm does not calm until later on. It is a nice take on the authors part, to
incorporate spiritual symbolism into such a terrifying, anxiety-gripping
journey. But it also hits me as peculiar that the author, as well as so many
people turn so much onto their own image of God in their worst times. I do
not see anything wrong with that, and I envy those who are not as skeptical
as I am. Terrible things happen to people all over the world, all day, every
day. Children are born into sex slavery and extreme poverty, people
scrounge days on end for one loaf of bread, nearly 2 people die every
second, etc. The people who are hurting the most commonly seem to be the
ones who incorporate God into their lives the most. Is it really all true, or is it
just a safety blanket for people, so they know that their pain really has
meaning? Life of Pi is a true example of this controversy. Something
absolutely horrific is happening to a kind-hearted, good soul for no apparent
reason, and his current, older version of himself explains that to this day, he
believes that it all happened for a reason. He still believes that in the end, it
was all meant to be, in order to strengthen his faith and bring him closer to
God. This is both admirable and questionable. Why does his journey or
anyone elses have to mean anything at all? Could God be someone to look

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to, so someone feels less alone? Or is it really all meant to strengthen their
faith? The list goes on, and so does the controversy.
The story ends by Pi and Richard Parker eventually hitting the coast of
the Mexican Sea, and they part ways. Richard Parker wanders into the jungle,
without even looking back, leaving Pi in nothing but tears and questions.
After being rescued, Pi is in hospital treatment when we see two Japanese
men interviewing him, inquiring into the case of the Japanese cargo ship that
sunk. After Pi explains his story, the Japanese men do not believe it at all.
Several factors such as the carnivorous island and of course, the Bengal
Tiger make it a hard story for these men to grasp. The men demand the
real story. This may be the most controversially confusing and questionable
part of the entire film. Pi proceeds to explain the real story, and goes on
about how Richard Parker was not included, nor was the carnivorous island,
the lemurs, or anything else that was just too bizarre. Now the viewer comes
into the question which story is in fact true? Would Pi and his viewers like to
believe that Richard Parker was actually there with him the entire time, or
was he in fact alone? This is how we understand how god is understood in
society. Most people would love to have a surreal and magical perspective on
life, and to know that they are not completely alone in their existence. But is
it just the human imagination, or does God truly play such a role in our lives?
These questions go on, and cannot be answered. It is all a matter of opinion.
At the end of Life of Pi, the reader looks back with dozens of questions
towards the film. I truly admire how this entire film is structured around

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allowing the audience to not only have to figure out, but to form their own
opinions about the plot. Symbolism is experienced the same as God, as they
are both only formed through someones own personal opinion. The question
now is, was the author of this story successful in making its viewers believe
in God? The answer is no. God cannot be proved, and cannot be physically
felt. God cannot be shown, cannot be heard, and possibly never will be. No
matter what your personal opinion towards God is, the concept of it is very
deep and concrete, and admirable in such a way. God can only be felt from
within, and that is just what director Ang Lee sought to show to his viewers in
this film. Lee, apart from the author is not trying to prove an existence of any
God. Lee is trying to show to his viewers what believing in God truly means,
and why people believe in God. Life of Pi makes the viewer connect with Pi
on his journey in more ways than one. Spiritually and physically, the director
allows the audience to inquire so much into the film, it is almost as if they
are there with Pi. For anyone, agnostic and not, it is prevalent that director
has made Life of Pi a film for all viewers, and for all beliefs. There is not and
may never be an answer when it comes to a matter of faith. There is no
proof, and no grounds for which anyone can prove anything faith related, and
there is no reason for why terrible things happen. In Life of Pi, it is shown that
there is no need for proof or reason when it comes to God. God is
represented as a free-flowing and universal formation of your own personal
opinion. Whether it be an ancient spirit, a man, or even a Bengal Tiger, one

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God is not what matters; having a connection is what truly begins and
what matters in everyones own spiritual journey.